On the other hand, rhinos may not have a shell, scales, or scutes, but they do have a thick skin that is nothing short of an armor. Yet they are known to be as sensitive as the human fingers. In case of crocodiles, the exoskeleton is made of horny scales with bony scutes beneath. In fact, it is just one of the different types of armors that animals use to defend themselves against predators with others being spikes and spines, bony plates, thick skin, etc. While the shell definitely happens to be the best example of animal armor, it is not the only example of the same.
When we speak of armored animals, the turtle with its thick shell is likely to be the first species to come to your mind. The armor protects these animals from predatory species who are armed with razor-sharp teeth and strong jaws. The definition doesn’t change much in the context of animals, other than the fact that in animals, it forms as a part of their body. Armored AnimalsĪn armor is a protective covering made of some hard material, which is used during a combat. Some species, for instance, are armed with a protective covering–an armor–to save them from the predator’s clutches. Not all animals rely on such unusual techniques though. While some animals shed the non-vital parts of their body to escape (autotomy), others go to the extent of ejecting their internal organs to disgust the predator (evisceration). Most of the animals have some or the other trick up their sleeve to deal with the predator in case they are caught. With the odds stacked against them, the prey species are highly dependent on antipredatory adaptations, which either help them avoid the predators or at least avoid being eaten by them. On one hand, we have the predator species, which has to hunt to survive, and on the other, we have the prey, which has to go all out to avoid being hunted. The predator-prey relationship is one of the most complex relationships in any ecosystem.